I don’t get to the UWS all that often (though I do love Barney Greengrass), so I eagerly agreed to join a friend for brunch there on what was arguable the nicest day in 2009 thus far. We met at Community Food & Juice on the most brilliantly sunny day, and the wait wasn’t even that long—20 minutes. The scene was pretty hilarious though, with the first really good burst of sun out pour the brunch hordes. If you set up outdoor tables, they will come.

Even better news? The menu is fantastic. There were at least four or five things I wanted to try and had a tough time settling on my order. My friend went with the very healthy veggie scramble and I opted for the much less sensible seven-grain waffle with sour cherry compote and toasted almonds. We also split an order of the house made chicken-apple-rosemary sausage. I’m still thinking about that sausage. We couldn’t have been happier to sit in the warmth of the sun, catching up, brunching and sipping our delicious cappuccinos. Life is good, try Community Food & Juice.